Master Flea · Character

Dörtje Elverdink

The lovely, capricious Dörtje Elverdink sends Peregrine a hundred kisses and draws him helplessly back into the very rooms he has sworn to flee.

supporting

Also known as the lovely Dörtje, Dörtje, the little Dörtje Elverdink, the fair Dörtje Elverdink, tripped Dörtje Elverdink

First appearance: i first adventure

As a supporting figure in Master Flea, Dörtje Elverdink is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as having fled from Leeuwenhoek's confinement; Pepusch expresses his love for her and his determination to find her.

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Dörtje is the beautiful young woman lodged in Swammerdam's chambers, whose silver voice and easy affection make her the fixed point of Peregrine's desire and the chief obstacle to his resolutions. Master Flea warns that she is as capricious as the wind and that loving her could cost Peregrine his reason, as it apparently cost the Thistle Zeherit, yet her charm is precisely what makes the warning so hard to heed. She matters because she embodies the story's central contest between clear-eyed counsel and irresistible attraction, and every scene she enters quietly reroutes the plot.

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See Dörtje Elverdink in i first adventure

Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Dörtje Elverdink sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Magical and scientific figures
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this passage, the narrative reaches its dramatic climax because Peregrine experiences the emotional peak of…

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In the story

Dörtje Elverdink appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II: Second Adventure
Mentioned as having fled from Leeuwenhoek's confinement; Pepusch expresses his love for her and his determination to find her.
III: Third Adventure
Referred to as the fair Hollandress and niece of Leeuwenhoek; said to have fled to Swammer's protection.
IV: Fourth Adventure
Mentioned in Pepusch's jealous outburst as the object of his despair, having been seen in Peregrine's arms.
Fifth Adventure
Snatched by George Pepusch, later revealed to be in the house with Mr. Swammer, dressing herself and expressing a wish for a tiny negro boy.
Sixth Adventure
Mentioned as the object of Peregrine's and Pepusch's desire; Peregrine pretends not to speak of her.
Seventh Adventure
Dressed in silver tissue, claims Peregrine as hers; Peregrine feels a cold shudder and suspects something lifeless in her; later found sitting stiff and corpse-like.

Chapter companion notes

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See Dörtje Elverdink in i first adventure

See Dörtje Elverdink in II: Second Adventure